Cheating and Plagiarism

The policy statement on Cheating and Plagiarism is a cornerstone of academic integrity at Macquarie University. All students are responsible for familiarising themselves with the policy, seeking further advice if necessary and complying with it at all times.

Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as your own. To avoid plagiarism in academic writing, your sources must ALWAYS be acknowledged and correctly referenced. There are many referencing systems. Some lecturers will specify the system they want you to use; others will be satisfied as long as you use any system consistently. The Essay Writing and Referencing Guidelines explains how to use the Harvard system of referencing. If your lecturer has not specified another system, this is a good one to use. Another popular referencing system, APA, is explained on the library Citation and Style Guides page.